RPC strengthens Hong Kong team ahead of reported merger

by
Steve Randall |
06 Mar 2017

RPC strengthens Hong Kong team ahead of reported merger
International law firm RPC has added corporate specialist Janney Chong to its team in Hong Kong amid reports that it will be merging with its alliance firm.

Chong joins from Sidley Austin after 13 years with the firm including the past five years as a partner specialising in IPOs, fundraisings and M&A transactions for mainland Chinese firms.

The firm currently operates as Smyth & Co in association with RPC but Legal Business reports that a name change request has been filed with the Law Society of Hong Kong and that RPC will formally combine with the local firm in May.

Leading arbitration team joins Singapore firm
Mayer Brown SJM in Singapore has announced that leading international arbitration lawyer Yu-Jin Tay is joining the firm’s international arbitration team along with two associates.

Tay and his team join from DLA Piper where he was a previous co-chair of the international arbitration group. Prior to that he headed the Asian arbitration practice at Shearman & Sterling in the city-state.

His career has also included practicing in London, Paris and Washington DC.

Herbert Smith Freehills lawyer appointed government legal adviser
Herbert Smith Freehills partner Andrew Cannon has been appointed to a public international law panel by the British attorney general.

Cannon is one of the first solicitors to join the panel with six other lawyers. Government departments will then select a solicitor or barrister from the panel when they need advice or representation on a public international law matter.

His experience includes being a legal adviser to the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and he represented the UK at the UN in New York and the EU in Brussels.

This is the first year that solicitors have been appointed to the panel, previously only barristers were chosen. Attorney general Jeremy Wright also has a general civil law panel and a regional panel.